-
COVID
For the first time in over a year the continuously climbing local coronavirus count has ground to a much-welcome halt in Dahlonega and Lumpkin County.
“Zero” was the official total of new COVID-19 cases reported by the Georgia Department of Public Health for the week.
Seven days prior to that the count stood at 2,844 reported local cases, since the beginning of the pandemic. It marked an increase of nine cases for the week of May 24 to May 31.
The June 1 to June 7 numbers remained unchanged.
The Nugget has been providing a weekly count since the first local case was diagnosed in March of 2020.
Since then 66 local lives have been lost to the disease and 295 people have been hospitalized, according to Georgia DPH stats.
“The cases in Lumpkin County and our region as well as the state continue to decline for various reasons,” said Natasha Young of the Georgia DPH on Monday. “Vaccines and continued preventive practices are working.”
Young, who replied to The Nugget after consulting with Georgia DPH Epidemiologist Marie Brown and Lumpkin County Nurse Manager Jessica Baker, cautioned that the report doesn’t necessarily mean the virus didn’t spread throughout the week.
“Other contributing factors could be due to reporting delays by labs and providers, and many people managing their symptoms at home and not being tested even if they feel sick,” she said.
However, the report was still a striking change from the stats reported at the height of the winter surge just a few months ago when weekly increases of over triple digits were becoming common place.
In the December 23 issue of The Nugget, Carol Burrell, NGHS president and CEO pointed to the hope of the vaccine in the midst of those dark days.
“It’s been a long eight months for our organization and our community, as we continue to see record numbers of COVID patients,” she said. “We still have a long journey ahead of us, but simply having a vaccine in our hands is a tremendous and positive step forward.”
Slowly and steadily the roll out of the vaccine has helped reduce those numbers.
“Vaccinations continue to play a large role in decreasing infection rates as well as utilizing important preventive measures for those who are not vaccinated,” said Young.
She added that the big rules of the pandemic, like wearing a face covering when needed, social distancing and disinfecting still apply.
“We’re headed in an upward direction,” she said. “So let’s keep it going.”